Water-purifying apparatus.



No. 882,240. PATENTED MAR. 17, 1908.

J. B. FENDER.

WATER PURIPYING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 4,1907.

JOHN B. FENDER, OF KAUFMAN, TEXAS.

WATER-PURIFYING APPARATUS.

No.'s82,24o.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 4, 1907.

Patented March 17, 1908.

Serial No. 377,170.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JOHN B. FENDER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Kauf man, in the county of-Kaufman and State of Texas, haveinvented a new and useful Water-Purifying Apparatus, of which thefollowing is a specification.

This invention relates to an apparatus for purifying water by causingall impurities therein to be removed therefrom through the action ofgravity assisted by a chemical solution.

The main object of the invention is to purify water and render itpotable by impregnating it with a small percentage of an inocuouschemical salt, and then, before turning the water into the distributingmains, to pass it through a settling basin or basins, in which allimpurities such as mud, silt and similar substances, includingvegetation, Will gravitate to the bottom of said basin or basins and thepurified water drawn off from the top.

A further object of the invention relates to the means for thoroughlymixing the impure water with the chemical substance before it enters thesettling basin.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of thenovel construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafterdescribed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a plan view of the waterpurifying apparatus. Fig. 2 is a vertical longitudinal sectional view onthe line 22 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a View in elevation of the inlet end ofthe basin. Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the mineral or chemical boxtaken on the line 44 of Fig. 1.

Similar reference numerals are used on the same parts in all thefigures.

The settling basin 1, which may be constructed of wood, brick andcement, or concrete, either plain or reinforced, is preferably builtbelow the level of the ground and of such proportions as will bedemanded by the quantity of water tobe purified. As an example of thesize of a practical basin,its

roportions may be say, one-hundred feet ong, twenty-five feet wide andfive feet deep. Across the basin are constructed two straight partitions2 and 3, dividing it into three ap roximately equal compartments 4, 5ant 6. The partitions 2 and 3 do not extend to the bottom of the basin,but are raised above it to provide passages for the water from one endof the basin to the other, the partition 3 being nearer the bottom ofthe basin than the partition 2. Extending in a curved direction from onecorner of the basin to the other in the compartment 6 is a wall 7 builtup from the bottom of the tank and impervious to the passage of water.The height of the wall 7 is less than the de th of the basin so thatbefore the basin fi ls with water, it overflows the wall 7 into areceptacle 8 bounded by said wall and the end of the basin. Within thereceptacle 8 and depressed below the bottom of the basin is a trap 9into which the purified water enters and from which it passes outthrough a pipe 10.

An underground water main 11, outside one end of the basin, is tapped at12 for a by pass main 13 that leads along the side of the basin to itsother end where it turns at a right angle and continues in the directionof the central line of the tank to a gate or other suitable valve 14.The pipe 10 is connected to a gate valve 15 and from thence to the main11. Another gate valve 16 is placed in the main 1 1 between the by passmain 13 and the pipe 10. hen the valve 16 is closed water must passthrough the by pass main 13 and valve 14 therein, into the basin andfrom thence out through the pipe 10 and valve 15 to the main again. Butwhen it becomes necessary to clean the basin, the valves 14 and 15 areclosed and the valve 16 opened, permitting the water to pass straightthrough the main.

At the end of the basin 1 above the compartment 4 is erected acylindrical mixing tank 17, supported on the edge of the tank andoverhanging the same, and upheld by a frame 17 said tank having acentral opening 18 in the bottom surrounded by an upstanding flange 19reaching into the tank for a short distance. Attached to the flange 19,and extending tangentially therefrom are a plurality of plates or wings20. From the gate valve 14, a pipe 21 enters the tank in a tangentialdirection at the bottom thereof.

Near the top of the tank 1 above the mouth of the pipe 21 is placed themineral box 22 for holding the chemical salt in lump form to bedissolved and enter the water flowing from the pipe 21. The preferredsalt is aluminium sulfate, but other salts may be from whence it maybepumped into a -reserused either alone or in combination. The l voir,stand pipe or dlstributed by gravity.

mineral box 22 is preferably rectangular in' outline with a longitudinalcentral partition 23 extending from one end of the box nearly to theopposite end, a passage 24 being left between the end of the partitionand the end of the box. From the main 13 a small pipe 25, provided witha valve 25 ,-enters the tank 17 and has its end 26 bent downwardly intothe box 22 on the outer side of the partition 23. The floor 27 on thisside of the box inclines downwardly towards its opposite end where willbe found the passage 24, and from whence the floor 28, on the inner sideof the partition, continues its downward inclination to the inlet endwhere it is perforated for an outlet pipe 29 which empties just aboveand slightly in advance of the mouth of the pipe 21. The tank 17 isprotected by a removable cover 30 having a central opening 31.

The floor of the basin 1 falls slightly from all .directions toward thedrain pipe 32 through which outlet, the water used to clean the tankmakes its escape. A valve 33 is applied to said pipe and closed when thebasin is in operation.

When water is to be purified, the gate valve 1-6 in the main 11 isclosed, causing the Water to enter the by pass main 13. Sulfate ofaluminium preferably in lumps is placed in the mineral box 22, and thevalves 14 and 25 opened, admitting water to the tank 17 and to themineral box. The water in the mineral box, owing to the inclination ofthe floor, travels the length of the box and then back again beforeemptying into the outlet pipe 29. During this travel of the water itdissolves some of the salt in the box, impregnating the water which thenpours through the outlet pipe 29 into the entering stream of water fromthe main 13 through the pipe 21. The water entering the tank in atangential direction is whirled around the tank several times before itcan make its exit through the central opening 18 into the basin. Thewhirling motion of the water from the pipe 21 tends to mix with thechemically treated water coming from the box and is assisted therein bythe projecting tangential plates or blades 20 on the flange 19. By thismeans the impregnated water is thoroughly mixed with the impure waterand the two, then passing into the basin 1, move slowly to the oppositeend thereof, passing first under the partition 2 and then below thepartition 3 into the compartment 6. By this time the chemical substancehas acted on all the impurities in the water capable of treatmentthereby and descended to the bottom of the basin. When the water reachesthe wall 7 it is thoroughly purified, and pouring over said wall itenters the trap 9 and thence by way of pipe 10 to the main Having thusdescribed the invention what is claimed is 1 1. Ina water purifyingapparatus, a set tling basin, having an outlet for purified water,combined w ith a circular mixing tank, means for directing watertangentially into the tank, said tank having a central outlet openingleading to said basin, and a box for holding a purifying chemical saltthrough which a stream of water from the water to be treated passes andwhich is'poured into the water to be purified at its entrance into themixing tank. a

2. In a water purifying apparatus, a settling basin, having a wall atone end over which the purified water pours to an outlet main, combinedwith a mixing apparatus at the other end consisting of a circular mixingtank having a flanged central delivery, opening over said basin, andtangential plates or blades on said flange, a box in the upper end ofsaid tank longitudinally divided for the greater part of its length inwhich the purifying chemical is placed, a main leading to and enteringsaid mixing tank at a tangent, a branch pipe from said main to said boxand a delivery pipe from said box to the mouth of the main within themixing tank.

3. In a water purifying apparatus, a settling basin having a pluralityof partitions extending transversely across the same, their lower edgesraised above the floor of the basin, the space between each partitionand the basin decreasing towards the outlet end, a curved wall at theoutlet end of the basin and rising therefrom to a height less than thefirst mentioned partitions and having an outlet leading to thedistributing .main combined with a mixing tank at the receiving end .ofthe basin into which thewater to be treated enters and having an outlettherefrom into the basin, and a box for holding a purifying materialthrough which a stream of water enters and after traveling a tortuouspassage therein empties into said tank.

4. In a water purifying apparatus a settling basin having a plurality ofcross partitions open below to permit water to pass thereunder, saidopenings decreasing in height towards the outlet end of the basin, acurved wall at the outlet end of the basin over which the purified Waterflows, combined with a mixing tank at the receiving end of the basinhaving deflectors and an opening into the basin below, a box containinga purifying material over the mixing tank and having an outlet leadingthereinto, a main for nonpurified water having a by pass main leading tothe purifying tank with a valve therein, a valved pipe leading from saidby pass main in front of its valve to the chem ical box, and a shortmain connecting the purisfied Water receptacle behind the curved wall tothe principal main, a valve in said main and a valve in the principalmain between the by pass main, and the purified water main.

5. In a Water purifying apparatus, a settling basin, a mixing tanksupported over one end of said basin, a central outlet open ing in saidtank surrounded by an internal flange, tangential wings or platesextending into said tank from the flange, a water inlet pipe enteringthe side of the pipe at a tangent to produce a vortical movement of thewater therein, and a chemical tank feeding small quantities of asolution of Water purifying material to the water as it emerges from theinlet pipe and with which it is thoroughly mixed by said wings or platesand the vortical motion of the water.

6. In a Water purifying apparatus, a box therefor for holding purifyingchemical salts, having a central longitudinal partition extending fromone end to near the other end,

an inlet pipe on one side and an outlet pipe on the opposite side ofsaid partition and at the same end, and a floor for said box incliningdownwardly from said inlet pipe to the outlet pipe.

7. In a water purifying apparatus, a box therefor for holding purifyingchemical salts, divided by a central longitudinal partition into twowater ways connected at one end of the box, an inlet pipe and an outletpipe on opposite sides of the partition at the other end of said box,and a divided floor for said box wherein that portion on the inlet sideof the partition inclines downwardly to the 0pposite end, from whencethe floor on the opposite side of the partition also inclines downwardlyto the outlet pipe.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own, I have hereto aflixedmy signature in the presence of two Witnesses.

JOHN B. FENDER.

I/Vitnesses:

JAMES YOUNG, JED. C. ADAMS.

